Devices designed for the safety of other equipment are inadequate if they can fail without either indicating their own failure or permitting a simple check test of their operating condition. The check test can be applied either continuously, or at random, depending on the respective equipment configurations and functions.
Because the subject sensor is of highly specific and specialized nature, a failure-indicating monitoring system for it must, by necessity, be of comparably unique characteristics and tailored to its respective needs.
Considering this situation, it is assumed that existing monitoring systems, if any, would not be capable of furnishing the protection for the subject sensor and its supporting equipment.
Conversely, the monitoring members devised for the subject sensor would, very likely, have few, if any, applications with other implements.
Various patents of prior and related art teach rather basic units and systems, however, without any safety or other monitoring means. Such typical teachings include, but may not be limited to, the following examples and references:
______________________________________ Magee et al. 4,219,805 Aug. 26, 1980 United Kingdom 2 037 994 B Apr. 13, 1983 ______________________________________
None of these arrangements contains or provides for a safety feature allowing for determining the integrity of the basic sensor circuits. The latter being failure-detection components and devices, their own defects and failures, if assumed to be nonexistent, could only hasten a catastrophic result of the monitored operation and equipment.